Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wood-type golf club. More specifically, the present invention relates to a wood-type golf club head with the capability to adjust the face angle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to improve their game, golfers seek customization of their equipment to their particular swing. Golf equipment manufacturers have responded by increasing the different types of clubs available to the average golfer. For drivers, this has included increasing the different number of lofts readily available to the average golfer. Further, the average golfer can choose the type of shaft, whether metal or graphite, appropriate to the golfer""s swing. Additionally, the length of the shaft may be adjusted, and the type of grip can be customized for the golfer.
However, golfers demand perfection, and every possible adjustment must be made to fit a particular golfer""s swing. Thus, drivers that allow for adjustments in the lie angle and face angle have been made available to golfers. One such driver is Jackson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,973 for a Golf Club Head With Enlarged Hosel, originally filed in 1996. The insert of Jackson is removable thereby allowing for another insert with a different shaft orientation to be inserted into the hosel. The insert of Jackson has a diameter that is much larger than that of the tip end of the shaft.
Another example is Schroder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,733, filed in 1990 for a Golf Club. The Schroder patent discloses a club head with an elongated lower shaft portion that can be rotated to adjust the face angle of the golf club. The lower shaft portion is adjustable by rotating the shaft to accommodate the golfer, however, the tip of the shaft will be disposed behind or in proximity to the center of percussion of the golf club. Additionally, Schroder requires a particular shaft, with a lower angled portion, for the golf club head.
A further example is Toulon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,528, filed in 1996, for a Golf Club Head And Hosel Construction. The Toulon patent discloses a hosel with a slot groove that provides for adjustment of the face angle by five degrees and the lie angle by seven degrees by application of a transverse bending force on the hosel.
A further example of such an invention is Wood, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,155, which was originally filed in 1997. The Wood patent discloses a hosel that allows for customization of the face angle for a particular golfer by reorienting the club head relative to a neck member of the hosel.
Yet a further example is Kubica, U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,549 which was filed in 1997 for a golf club and a multitude of hosels with each hosel having a passage with a different angle relative to the club head. Each hosel has a flat portion for securing the hosel within a bore in the club head. In order to adjust the angle, the hosel must be replaced with another hosel. The hosels are composed of a material softer than the club head.
The prior art also contains the use of inserts for non-adjustment purposes. One example of the prior art is Chappell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,188 for a golf club. The Chappell patent discloses an iron with a ferrule composed of a thermoplastic material having a modulus of elasticity of 80-1980 pounds per square inch, a specific gravity of 1.15 to 1.22, shore hardness of 60, and an Izod strength of 3.0 to 10.0 ft/lbs. The ferrule is placed within an external hosel, and the exposed end of the ferrule 21 millimeters. The preferred material is a butyrate.
Another example is Dekura, U.S. Pat. No. 5,766,089, which was originally filed in Japan in 1994 for a metal wood composed of magnesium or aluminum alloy with a hosel attaching section composed of ABS and epoxy. The rigidity of the hosel attaching section is lower than the shaft to absorb vibration and shock to thereby reduce vibrations through the shaft.
Another example is Take et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,723, originally filed in Japan in 1994 for a Golf club With Cushion Material Between Shaft And Head. The Take patent discloses the use of a cushioning member composed of a synthetic resin such as ABS resin, polycarbonate, or epoxy, in order to cushion the shaft within the metal head.
Another example is Allen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,149 which was originally filed in 1999 for a shortened hosel and an extended ferrule. The primary object of the Allen patent is to reduce hosel weight without sacrificing shaft support or cosmetic integrity. The Allen patent discloses a hosel with a length of 0.625 inch to 0.750 inch, and an extended ferrule composed of a high strength thermoplastic.
One of the earliest example is Offutt, U.S. Pat. No. 1,167,922, originally filed in 1914 for a golf club head with an enlargement on a tubular metal shaft to provide a fluted surface.
However, golfers want a high performance golf club that can be easily customized to them while golf equipment manufacturers need to provide as much standardization as possible in order to prevent escalation of manufacturing costs. Thus, although the prior art has presented many inventions for providing customization, the prior art has failed to provide a cost effective method of customization.
The present invention provides a solution to the cost-effective customization of golf clubs while provide golfers with golf clubs that they currently play and trust to give them optimal performance. The present invention is able to accomplish this by providing a wood-type golf club head with an insert for orientation of the golf club face angle subsequent to the manufacturing of the golf club head.
A golf club head is typically manufactured using a casting procedure or a forging procedure. Typically, the face angle of the golf club is fixed at the time of manufacture since the location and orientation of the hosel is integrally manufactured with the entirety of the golf club head. Depending on manufacturing tolerances, the intended face angle, or effective loft angle, could be off several degrees or more. The present invention overcomes this problems by fixing the face angle of the golf club post-manufacturing through use of an insert.
One aspect of the present invention is a golf club including a golf club head, an insert and a shaft. The golf club head has a crown, a sole, a striking plate and an internal hosel. The internal hosel has a hosel wall defining a bore that extends from a crown opening below a top of the crown to a sole opening at the sole. The insert is disposed within the internal hosel. The insert has a cylindrical body that extends from the crown opening to the sole opening. The cylindrical body defines a bore that extends from the crown opening to the sole opening. The bore is disposed at a predetermined angle within the cylindrical body to define a face angle of the golf club. The shaft has a tip end and a butt end. The tip end of the shaft is positioned through the bore of the insert to the sole opening.
Another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a golf club. The method begins with providing a golf club head having a crown, a sole, a striking plate and an internal hosel extending from the crown to the sole. The internal hosel has a hosel wall defining a bore that extends from a crown opening below a top of the crown to a sole opening in the sole. The next step is attaching a removable insert to a tip end of a shaft. The insert has a cylindrical body that defines a bore extending therethrough. The shaft is positioned within the bore. The next step is orienting the insert to define the face angle of the golf club. The next step is placing the shaft, while attached to the insert, within the internal hosel of the golf club head. An excess portion of the tip end of the shaft and an excess portion of the insert extends further than the sole opening. The next step is cutting the excess portions of the tip end of the shaft and the insert at the sole opening to define a relatively smooth sole surface.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is a golf club including a golf club head, an insert, a hosel liner and a shaft. The golf club head has a crown, a sole, a striking plate and an internal hosel extending from the crown to the sole. The internal hosel has a hosel wall defining a bore that extends from a crown opening below a top of the crown to a sole opening in the sole. The insert is disposed within the bore of the internal hosel. The insert has a cylindrical body that extends from the crown opening to the sole opening. The cylindrical body defines a bore that has an upper chamber in communication with the crown opening and a lower chamber in communication with the upper chamber and the sole opening. The bore defines a face angle of the golf club. The hosel liner has an upper portion, a lower portion and a bore therethrough. The upper portion has a greater diameter than the lower portion, and the lower portion positioned within the upper chamber of the bore of the insert. The hosel liner has a shoulder below the upper portion that engages the crown, and the hosel liner is composed of a polymer material. The shaft has a tip end and a butt end. The tip end of the shaft is positioned through the bore of the hosel liner and through the bore of the insert to the sole opening.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.